Three-dimensional numerical simulation on plastic damage in small punch specimen of Zirconium

Small punch test (SPT) technique was used to evaluate the mechanical properties of Zirconium in this paper. The dimension of the disc specimen is φ 10 × 0.5 mm. Plastic damage in small punch specimen of Zirconium was investigated both experimentally and numerically, because it has great influence on small punch specimen. In order to simulate the plastic damage in the small punch specimen of Zirconium, the 3D finite element model incorporated with Gurson–Tvergaard–Needleman (GTN) plastic damage constitutive equation was established. Void growth and initiation of ductile crack of the small punch specimen were predicted. Results show that damage occurs on the bottom side of the specimen and grows across the specimen until complete failure, which has good agreement with the observation in the experiment.